I would like to think of the UW-Madison campus as a relatively safe place. Even though we were ranked the third best party school in the nation, I never felt our association with these social activities posed a threat to students. Jason Gratzl changed that earlier this fall when he fell from a balcony, and while he remains hospitalized and in fair condition, he quite likely will never live the life for which he had previously hoped. Following Gratzl's tale and the estimated 1,400 like it that occur every year, there remains only one way to stop this dangerous trend: know your limits and stick to them.
Gratzl's story is just part of an epidemic that seems to be sweeping college towns across the nation and the bottom line is that we just don't know when to stop
The real problem is not social drinking or having a glass of wine with dinner. It is the beer bongs, keg stands, beer pong and card games that are geared toward getting students drunk and doing it quickly. While many of us understand our alcohol consumption is far beyond our tolerance, we ignore our bodies' warning signs, expecting the drinks to drown away our midterm woes or to place us at the center of attention. Even those of us who try to keep a watchful eye on our friends, believing we can help them adhere to their limits, we too are to blame for allowing them to continue their potentially dangerous behavior.
Many recent deaths like those of Samantha Spady and Lynn Gordon Baily Jr. of Colorado State University, Blake Hammontree of the University of Oklahoma and Barrett Kemp of the University of Arkansas have been blamed upon their involvement with sororities or fraternities. One of these deaths seems legitimately tied to the Greek party scene because the victim was initiated by being told not to leave a certain spot until he finished several bottles of whiskey. However, the other cases depict scenes like any other college party. Many of these students had a blood-alcohol level above the lethal level of .40, and were found to be mixing alcohol with other drugs. These cases are unfortunate, but not rare.
So what can be done about this seemingly unstoppable popularity of alcohol abuse? Educators have tried everything from informational CD-ROMs and brochures to partnerships with nearby communities. Local governments and universities have even gone so far as to provide \tipsy taxis"" or Madison's own SAFEride. When these strategies don't work, some administrators, notably the outspoken Dr. Reef Karim, a psychologist at UCLA, often shift the blame to parents who they believe are not being proactive enough with their children. But the truth remains: The more warnings offered, the more opportunities given for a secure ride home, and the more parents try to get involved-the more incentive students have to rebel. Even campus police cannot responsibly stop the madness as the number of house parties is too high to patrol efficiently, and often apartments accommodate parties completely out of law enforcement's view.
As a student, I say, keep living it up. But when tolerance becomes an issue, be cautious of becoming just another statistic. There is a fine line between ""living it up"" and letting go, and while its OK to pride ourselves as students of a socially active institution, we must also learn to take pride in practicing responsibility.
